Zelena's Heartbreak
by FangirlSupreme
Summary: Zelena has been through hell and back where her heart is concerned. But what if there was someone before Hades? A relationship that built and fortified the walls around Zelena's heart? Someone she never thought she'd see again. Good helping of feels here. Eventual Zelena/Hades. Includes alternate ending to 5B.
1. Chapter 1

**Sooooo, here's my shot at a story. You read the summary, but I'll go through it again:**

 _ **Zelena has been through hell and back where her heart is concerned. But what if there was someone before Hades? A relationship that built and fortified the walls around Zelena's heart? Someone she never thought she'd see again.**_

 **Italics are flashbacks. Duh.**

 **Enjoy!**

 _"Come on!" A teenage boy with chocolate brown hair and steel gray eyes ran through the underbrush. "You'll want to see this."_

 _"I'm trying!" a girl with curly red hair and green eyes tugged at her skirt, which had been caught in the thick branches. "If you would just slow down, I'd catch up."_

 _"What's the fun in that?" he retorted. "Now come on!" He darted up ahead._

 _Once he was out of sight, the girl glanced at her still trapped skirt. Looking around to make sure she was alone, she held out a hand towards the captured fabric. Her fingers glowed with a green light that snaked out and gently pushed the branches away from her clothes._

 _She giggled at herself and followed the boy._

 _"Fiyero, wait up!"_

* * *

 _"Alright, what was it you wanted to show me?" she asked, finally making her way through the bushes._

 _He stood at the edge of the cliff, and turned towards her, holding out his hand, callused from working with metals and wood all day._

 _She took it, and let herself be led to his side. "You live all the way out in the middle of the woods," the boy said quietly. "You never get to see it."_

 _"See what?" she asked. He turned her chin to face the horizon. "Oh..."_

 _The sky was a brilliant canvas, painted with soft reds and yellows and pinks. Clouds wreathed around the orange sun, tinted from its golden light. They were on the highest hill for miles, and she was astounded by how everything looked small and enormous at the same time._

 _"It's beautiful," she said softly._

 _The boy chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Not nearly as beautiful as you."_

 _She smiled shyly at him. "Thank you for bringing me," she said genuinely._

 _He smiled back at her. "There's more in this world, you know." He glanced at the sunrise. "Tomorrow, I'm leaving and going to explore it all."_

 _She sighed. "I wish I could come."_

 _"Who says you can't?" he asked._

 _"My father-"_

 _"Forget your father." He took both her hands. "Run away with me. We'll explore every world, together."_

 _"You want me?"_

 _He kissed her, wrapping an arm around her waist. When they broke apart, he smiled._

 _"Of course. So, what do you say? Will you come with me?"_

 _"Yes," she whispered. "I wouldn't want it any other way."_

 _"I love you, Zelena."_

 _"I love you, too, Fiyero."_

* * *

Zelena stared up at the red sky, wishing she had her magic.

This desire intensified as she nearly collapsed from her injured ankle.

The Underworld unsettled her, in so many ways.

The way it looked like Storybrooke. How nearly everyone except her had use of magic.

The fact that Hades was here.

He'd brought her daughter here. Zelena had been an accident.

Still, desperate to save her child, she'd taken her from Robin and Regina and run, intending to do what she thought they couldn't: protect her daughter from Hades.

That plan had gone out the window when she'd discovered a small cut on the baby girl's perfect face, caused by her unpredictable burst of magic.

So she'd forced herself to give up the one thing she'd wanted to hold on to: her baby.

And now she was alone.

Being alone, however, gives the mind strange thoughts. Her mind wandered with her feet, barely aware of where she was going. She found herself in the graveyard, walking (well, hobbling, more like) aimlessly.

Until she came to a particular gravestone.

Standing perfectly upright, in flawless condition. Not one crack.

He was here.

An all too-familiar ache sent waves through her chest, and she couldn't breathe. Steeling herself, she made her feet turn away and walk steadily away from the gravestone.

And yet... She found herself looking back. At the name carved on the tombstone.

 _Fiyero._

* * *

 **Ah, don't worry my pretties. This is definitely a Hades/Zelena story. Have faith. All good things come to those who wait.**

 **Review, pretty please!**

 **If I anger any** ** _Wicked_** **fans, I apologize ahead of time. Just throwing that out there.**

 **Oh yeah, I don't own anything. All rights to their respective owners, blah blah blah.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, here's chapter two of Zelena's Heartbreak... Have fun**

 _"You will regret this, Zelena."_

At the time, she'd taken it as a threat. Now, standing in front of the fallen clock tower, she wondered, not for the first time, if she'd taken it the wrong way.

Maybe it hadn't been a threat.

Maybe it had been a fact.

Either way, he'd been right.

For years, she had played "what if" in her head. Thinking about what might have happened had she let her walls come down. If she had let him kiss her.

But if Zelena had learned anything over the years, it was that feelings were messy. Certain ones, that is. Love, compassion, trust, they all turned a person into a mess.

No one loved her. No one ever wanted to help her. No one trusted her.

After all, who could feel anything for a witch?

* * *

 _Zelena woke up, disoriented. Sunlight streamed through the cracked window of her room._

 _Fiyero was supposed to have come at dawn to get her. So they could leave this place and never come back._

 _So where was he?_

 _She threw the thin covers back and slid off of her bed, wincing as her foot hit an old board that gave a loud creak. She froze and listened intently, and when only loud snores from the next room, reached her ears, she crept out of her room and for the door._

 _Ske kept an eye on her father, who was passed out in a drunken sleep, alcohol fumes emanating from him. Zelena felt her lip curl in disgust as she shut the door behind her. Turning to the woods, she took a deep breath and headed for Fiyero's house._

* * *

 _Zelena was confused. He wasn't there. She'd looked all around the village for him. He was gone._

 _He wouldn't have left her._

 _Would he?_

 _Maybe he forgot._

 _He wouldn't forget her._

 _Maybe something happened and he had to leave as soon as possible._

 _That had to be it._

 _She knew the path he was taking. She could catch up with him. He could have been waiting for her at some point. This idea restarted the flame of hope within and she set off for their path._

* * *

"Wouldn't it be nice not to be alone anymore?" Hades asked, his tone almost pleading as he reached for her hand. "After all these years, I still choose you."

His words bring even more tears to her eyes. She still remembered Rumplestiltskin taunting her, telling her that he never would have chosen her to cast the Dark Curse. Hades saying this to her means more than she'd ever admit.

"What better revenge is there than having it all?"

She had to say something at this point. "But I had it all," she said, her voice cracking. "And I gave them back my baby because I thought you wanted to hurt her-" She broke off with a choked sob.

"Well, then, we'll just have to go back and get her, won't we?" he said firmly. He took another step forward.

He was much too close. She could feel her heart pounding and her head reeling with mixed emotions and as a memory came flooding back, she reached her breaking point.

* * *

 _Zelena had finally caught up with Fiyero; she could see him ahead on the path._

 _She called out his name and started hurrying toward his figure. She saw him go still and turn._

 _"What are you doing?" he demanded as she came within earshot._

 _"You were gone," she said breathlessly._

 _"You weren't supposed to follow me," he snapped, his gray eyes hard and cold._

 _Confused, Zelena stammered. "But..I thought-"_

 _"What? That I really would run off with the town drunk's daughter? That we'd have a future?" he sneered. "Please. Don't flatter yourself."_

 _Zelena was trying to process the meaning of his harsh words._

 _"You-you said-"_

 _"That I loved you? How could you expect anyone to love you, the drunk's daughter? And a witch to boot," he said viciously._

 _Zelena nearly collapsed out of shock. "How did you-"_

 _"You should be more careful," Fiyero countered. He paused, then said "Scratch that. Then they'll burn you at the stake and we'll all be rid of you."_

 _Her eyes stung with tears. "How- how can you say that?"_

 _"Don't delude yourself by thinking that anyone will give a damn about you Zelena, because they won't. I sure as hell don't. You were just a bit of fun, nothing else." He shifted the pack on his shoulder._

 _"Now, I'm leaving. Don't be stupid and follow me."_

 _He turned to leave._

 _"None-none of it was real?" Zelena asked tentatively._

 _"No. Now go home, Zelena."_

 _Fiyero continued down the path, leaving a stricken Zelena behind_.

* * *

She couldn't risk it. There was no way she'd ever let her heart be broken again.

So she pulled her hand out of Hades' hold, tears streaming down her face as she could only gasp the word "No."

She apologized, and felt even worse as Hades only gazed at her sympathetically, and said his reassurances.

"I know you don't want me, or need me. But if you change your mind, I'll be waiting for you...at home."

And with those words, he disappeared in a cloud of blue fire.

Home. Zelena had never found a place that felt remotely like home. A part of her dared to wonder if it was possible to have a home with Hades. But that same part of her was the one that clouded her judgement with sentiment, and led her to make decisions she quickly regretted.

It wasn't possible for anyone to love her.

Was it?

* * *

 **Ah, Zelena. Have faith.**

 **Review, please!**

 **But seriously, I'm terrified for 5x21, aren't you all? (I'm here for feels venting...)**

 **Also, if you saw Civil War and felt some ScarletVision vibes, I started a little thing about that,so check it out! It DOES contain spoilers, so read at your own risk.**


	3. Chapter 3

Zelena didn't get much sleep. She was too busy, tossing and turning. As a result, the next morning had her weary and disoriented.

For a few hours, she sat in an exhausted stupor, thinking, her green eyes lazily scanning the room.

She still couldn't get over how much the Underworld resembled Storybrooke. The precision with which everything was made and detailed, it was eerily identical.

" _Haven't you wondered why this place looks like Storybrooke?" He laughed, then. "I did it for you! I saw how much you wanted to cast the Dark Curse, to get everything your sister had."_

It made her wonder how long he'd been keeping an eye on the heroes. On her.

She finally reasoned to herself that there was no point in staying inside. It made her look like some silly schoolgirl avoiding an awkward confrontation with the object of her affection.

Except she didn't have an object of affection.

At least, that was what she kept telling herself.

At any rate, she found herself outside, in Underbrooke's (she couldn't remember who had come up with that) downtown. She kept walking, even though she was unsure of where to go, and decided to settle in the rather gloomy version of Granny's Diner.

Might as well. It had been one of the less unpleasant places in Storybrooke.

She tried to relax, but the past twenty-four hours' events had been rather nerve wracking. She found herself deep in thought.

* * *

Hades POV

Hades watched her go, hanging back by a building corner.

Gods, he'd missed her. Actually seeing her, not just glances from the occasional scrying bowl.

As she entered the diner, he tore his eyes away, but where they settled did nothing to ease his mind.

A single, white flower.

He stalked over to the small blossom, and picked it.

Flawless. Small.

Definitely not good. Not if these were cropping up.

He hated flowers, particularly when they grew in the Underworld.

To him, it meant two things.

Hope.

And _her_.

* * *

 _Hades despised the parties on Mount Olympus. He usually didn't attend, but Zeus had pestered him endlessly to the point where he'd irritatedly accepted the invitation._

 _And now he lingered at the far back of the pavilion, holding a goblet of nectar simply to give his bored hands something to do other than aimlessly tapping his fingers against the marble pillars._

 _An action that had earned him a distasteful glance from Hephaestus._

Well, not everyone could appreciate a carved slab of rock, nephew dear, _he thought._

 _He was considering slipping out and returning to the Underworld, though the idea wasn't much more appealing than staying._

 _He didn't want to be in that place any longer than was necessary._

 _He looked around the pavilion, feeling that same spike of jealousy._

 _This place could have been his._

 _Damn Zeus and Poseidon both, the cheats._

 _Instead, he was stuck in the place no one wanted to be._

 _The Underworld._

" _Excuse me, can I stand here?"_

 _Hades pulled himself out of his rumination to meet a pair of brown doe eyes belonging to an innocent-looking young woman, her dark hair curled into black ringlets. He was slightly caught off-guard, to say the least._

" _What?"_

 _She turned pink. "I, um, I don't really know anyone here, so I thought I'd-"_

" _Talk to the God of Death?"_ Ha. Let's see her reaction to that, shall we? _he thought, amused._

 _Taken aback, she stammered, "W-wait, you're-"_

" _Hades? Brother of Zeus? Scourge of Olympus? That would be me," he said, winking._

 _She seemed at a loss for words._

" _My apologies. I'm being rude." He gave a slight bow. "I haven't seen you around here before. You're…?"_

" _Persephone."_

" _Ah, Demeter's daughter. I was beginning to wonder whether you were a mere myth or not."_

 _She gave a strained smile. "Mother is...well, protective, to say the least. I don't really get to socialize much."_

" _That must feel like living in a cage."_

 _She laughed. "Oh, absolutely. I rarely get a moment of peace."_

" _You could live in a place where people walk around and moan about everything they wish they could've done," Hades offered. "That's what I do."_

" _Yes, the Underworld…That's where all the souls with unfinished business go, isn't it?" she asked._

 _It wasn't often someone was curious about the Underworld. It was a little disconcerting, if he wanted to be honest._

" _Yes, it is. A rather unattractive place to be, really."_

" _You couldn't make it… I don't know, prettier?"_

 _He had to smile at that. "Prettier?" he repeated._

" _I don't know, grow flowers or something."_

 _He chuckled. "Easier said than done. Things don't grow in the Underworld without difficulty."_

" _I could help."_

 _Before he could reply, a woman that was an older, sterner-looking version of Persephone edged her way through the crowd._

" _Hello, Demeter," Hades said pleasantly as she came up scowling. Demeter ignored him._

" _Persephone! Where have you been?"_

 _Persephone cringed in frustration. "Talking to Lord Hades, Mother," she said, an undertone of irritation in her voice._

 _Demeter glared at Hades, as if it was his fault. She instantly began to steer Persephone away._

" _Don't talk to him," he heard her hiss to her daughter. Persephone glanced back at him._

 _He winked in response._

* * *

Hades stared at the flower in his hand.

This was unacceptable.

There was too much hope in the Underworld.

He had to end it.

He turned and made his way towards the animal shelter, an idea already forming.

* * *

Several hours later, Hades paced in his throne room.

He'd gotten rid of the hope, and the flowers had shriveled to dried husks.

He breathed a little easier.

She wasn't here. That was good.

* * *

Zelena stared quizzically at the silver platter sitting on her table. Warily, she lifted it, expecting something foul to be under the lid.

To her surprise, a withered, dried flower lay in the middle, a cream-colored card with her name inscribed next to it.

She picked it up, touching the dried petal gingerly.

In spite of herself, she found herself smiling.

* * *

 **Review, please!**

 **This is going to be an alternate ending to 5B, because what happened in 5x21 was inexcusable.**

 **I have a huge plotline and all sorts of shenanigans planned for y'all!**

 **But it's good shenanigans. Promise.**

 **So enjoy!**

 **Playlist update: 161 songs, 24 followers**

 **Shoutout to Ragingstillness for suggesting six songs for the playlist!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer that is pointless: I own nothing, all rights to OUAT and ABC and A &E(even though they don't deserve it)**

 **You guys are going to get two chapters because originally, it was one, but it was way too long, so I cut it in half (roughly)**

Zelena twirled the card with her name written on it between her fingers.

Hades was trying to extend the olive branch, restating his offer to battle the heroes with him and retrieve her daughter.

She couldn't deny that she was sorely tempted to accept. For a few moments, she allowed herself to fantasize winning the fight against the heroes, regaining her child...

And then what? Live in the Underworld?

She didn't want her baby to grow up in a place full of bitter souls and death. Perhaps they could try and go back to Storybrooke, but she and Hades certainly wouldn't be welcome. Not to mention that Regina and the others would never stop pursuing them.

She scowled to herself, and chased away the dregs of her fantasy.

She wasn't going to get her happy ending anytime soon.

Who was she kidding, thinking that someone could love her?

* * *

 _Zelena rubbed a small piece of charcoal on a yellowed scrap of paper, her thirteen year old hands artfully sketching a small hill, with a large weeping willow tree sitting atop it, the branches curved and thick enough to climb._

 _It was the sort of place she'd always wanted to have, away from Oz, away from everything._

 _The banging of the door startled her, and the piece of charcoal skidded across the paper, ruining the picture._

 _No time to mourn her lost artwork, she crumpled the paper and tossed it into the fireplace, then scrambled to her feet._

 _"Zelena!" Her father staggered into the room, the smell of alcohol coming off him in waves._

 _Zelena stayed still, forcing an expression of neutrality over her features. "Yes, Father?"_

 _His eyes narrowed as he stared blearily at her._

 _"Why are you being disrespectful?"_

 _Confused, she was about to reply, when suddenly his fist flew out and struck her, snapping her head to the side, and she tasted blood. She lost her balance and fell to the ground._

 _"Get up, witch!" her father spat._

 _Zelena unsteadily pushed herself to her feet. Her cheek stung, and she felt tears sting her eyes. Biting her lip to keep it from trembling, she blinked away her blurry vision._

 _"Look at this place!" her father raged. "You didn't even clean!"_

 _She struggled to keep from retorting that she'd spent almost as much time trying to tidy up the house as he'd spent at the bar and it wasn't her fault he decimated the place, but years of slaps had taught her to hold her tongue unless absolutely necessary._

 _"You're worthless," her father hissed. "How the hell am I supposed to get rid of you if there's no point to your existence? Who would possibly take you off my hands?"_

 _Zelena said nothing. Her father slapped her again, out of frustration._

 _"Witch!"_

 _A few tears found their way down her face. She hurriedly wiped them away._

 _Her father smacked her hands away from her face. "Don't cry," he snapped. "No one will ever love you, but they'll hate you if all you do is snivel."_

 _He turned and stumbled away from her. "You have to put on your best face," he muttered, more to himself than to his daughter. "Even if it's no good."_

 _Zelena hurried to her bedroom, unwilling to let him see her tears_.

* * *

A soft whoosh jerked Zelena out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see Hades.

"Would you prefer I send you chocolates next time?" he asked lightly, his tone almost flirtatious.

Normally, she would have at least smiled, but she wasn't in the mood for games.

"If you were looking for a thank you, you might want to put your name on the card next time," She retorted, her words coming out far more snappish than she had intended as she set the card down on the table.

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "Well, I'm afraid I didn't come to woo you, Zelena, I came to warn you."

"About what?"

"You have a visitor from Oz," he said.

"What?" she said disbelievingly. "Who?"

"Let's just say a werewolf crash-landed here," he elaborated. "You know, feisty, looks good in red..."

Her heart sinks at his words. "No, that's not possible. Not after what I did to her." She paced around the kitchen, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"It have been quite, well-" he laughs. "- _wicked_ for her to have chased you all this way."

She sighed. "Wicked doesn't begin to describe it. Whatever goodwill I've got with my sister will evaporate the moment she learns the truth of what I did to their friend..." What would happen when Regina found out? Surely she, her entourage and that bitch of a werewolf would all come after her, swords flashing with fireballs at the ready.

"I need to leave before they find me," she said suddenly, turning to face Hades.

"The Underworld? Easier said than done," he replied.

"Need I remind you, I'm very much alive," she retorted. "And I have my own way of getting home."

"And your daughter, you're just going to leave her here?"

"No, she's why I'm leaving. If I stay, if I face that wolf, I'll just do something else I'll regret-" her voice shook slightly. "-and then Regina will never let me see her again!"

"You certainly won't get your daughter back by running," Hades said. He picked up the dried flower he'd sent the previous day and took a few steps towards her.

"Stay," he whispered. "Face them."

She scoffed. "Let me guess, with you?"

"We make quite the team. You can trust me, Zelena," he said, unfazed by her indifference. He handed the flower out to her. "I'll give you everything you want," he coaxed.

"Sorry, Hades," she said. "But my time in the Underworld is over."

He tried to hide his disappointment, but it was written all over his face. Zelena felt a pang of guilt as he sighed and stepped away from her, the flower crumbling in his hand.

"Do what you must," he said, giving her a small, encouraging smile. "But just know, either way, I'm going to take care of that wolf."

And with that, he held his arms out to the side and disappeared in a plume of blue fire.

And Zelena felt the first few tears fall from her eyes.

* * *

Hades walked in circles around his throne room.

What could he say to make her believe? What could he do?

He really did love her.

Maybe it would be best if he took a few steps back. Faded into the background for a bit.

Like a guardian angel, sort of.

(Well, wasn't that ironic, considering who he was.)

Still, he should be careful, with what had happened last time.

* * *

 _"Lady Persephone."_

 _She gave a jump and whirled around, the flowers she'd gathered falling from her arms._

 _"My apologies. I didn't mean to startle you." As he spoke, they both knelt to retrieve the fallen blossoms._

 _"Oh, no, it's fine," she assured him._

 _"I merely found it disappointing that I wasn't able to speak with you at Lord Zeus's party, and I thought I could sneak a few more words," Hades said._

 _She winced. "Yes, I'm sorry about that. Mother's usually rather protective of me."_

 _"She should guard such a treasure."_

 _Persephone blushed. "Oh, I'm not that special."_

 _"I beg to differ." He picked up a narcissus and handed it to her, their fingertips brushing as she took it from him._

 _Her warm brown gaze flicked up to meet his, then she quickly glanced away._

 _"I'm just the goddess of springtime."_

 _"And I'm just the disgrace to the Olympian family."_

 _"Why is that?" she asked._

 _"It's funny how people end up becoming hated," he answered vaguely. "I'm not really sure, to be honest."_

 _"That doesn't seem fair," she said softly._

 _"Zeus and Poseidon both cheated me out of a decent kingdom," he replied. "I stopped believing in fair awhile ago."_

 _"Why not make it fair?" she queried. "Why not make the Underworld decent?"_

 _"Easier said than done."_

 _"Well, I did say I could help," she offered._

 _He smiled at her. "I may just take you up on that."_

* * *

 **Review please!**

 **Love you all!**


	5. Chapter 5

Zelena scowled at the empty glass in front of her.

Damn Regina and all her self-righteous pep talks.

Not to mention the thinly veiled threat of never seeing her daughter again. Zelena was still quite irked about that one.

Then came the knock on the door, soft and tentative.

She pushed her seat away from the table and walked to the door, ready to wreak havoc on whoever stood outside.

To her surprise, it was the bookworm.

"Belle," she said coldly. "To what do I owe the honor? Here to tear my crying baby from my arms again?"

"I need your help," Belle blurted out. Zelena rolled her eyes and made to shut the door. "Please," Belle begged. "I'm asking you as a mother."

That made Zelena pause. The bookworm, pregnant? Meaning that Belle and Rumplestiltskin had...

Ugh. That was going to give her nightmares.

Desperate to take her mind off the horrendous images that now plagued her brain, she ushered Belle inside.

* * *

Evidently distressed, the bookworm poured everything out. Learning how Rumplestiltskin had once again become the Dark One on her arrival, how a long time ago Rumple had made a deal to give up his second born child.

How Hades had managed to get ahold of the contract, and now dangled the prospect of Belle losing her baby over both of their heads.

Zelena was still trying to understand that part. Unless he truly was trying to achieve the time travel spell...

In which case all his advances towards her would be utterly pointless.

Unless he needed her to trust him so she could help.

But then there was no point to creating an entire Underworld based on Storybrooke if it didn't mean anything.

Then again, if the spell succeeded, it wouldn't matter anyhow.

 _You're going to kill yourself obsessing over this, Zelena,_ she thought to herself. _You need to focus, get your daughter, and leave._

Waiting until Belle had finished speaking, she asked, "And what makes you think Hades would listen to me?"

"I know he's in love with you," the bookworm replied.

Damn Regina.

Zelena laughed bitterly. "It seems my sister's got a bigger mouth than I thought." She looked at Belle. "Sorry, but Hades would never rip up one of his precious contracts, even if I asked.

"Please, Zelena, you know what it's like to lose a child."

Zelena's eyes narrowed at the irony of the statement. Oh, if the bookworm hadn't been pregnant and she wasn't trying to stay off the heroes' bad side, she would have let all hell loose on Belle.

"Why come to me, when you've got the Dark One on your side?" she asked.

"I can't really trust him right now," Belle answered.

"So you finally see the beast behind the man," Zelena said smugly. "Maybe you can understand why I'm not rushing to Hades with open arms."

Belle blinked. "Well, I don't think it's because of me and Rumple, I think it's because you're scared."

"Of the Lord of Death?" Zelena scoffed, half sarcastic. She laughed. "Please. I just know the truth. I'm never going to get my happy ending. Not with Hades, not with my daughter, not with anyone."

"Well, how do you know that if you've never even tried?" Belle inquired.

"Oh, I have tried! Look where I am now!" Zelena raised the now-filled glass in a mock toast. "Drinking with the bookworm," she mused, taking a long drink from the glass.

Belle instantly began gagging, and quickly rose from her seat. Zelena rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, if I disgust you that much, you can just leave!" she snapped.

"Oh no, uh, it's not that, it's just-" Belle reached for the pitcher of water by the sink, pouring herself a cup. "It's just morning sickness. I'm sure you remember what that's like."

"Actually, I don't," Zelena said thoughtfully. "Not since the Dark Swan made sure my pregnancy lasted all of ten minutes."

A horrified look came over Belle's face. "Wait, if-if Hades- if he decides he wants my child now, he could speed up my pregnancy too." Her words ended in a whisper.

"Well, I'd love to tell you he isn't capable of such a thing, but I can assure you he is,," Zelena said, watching the woman in front of her.

"And I-I thought I had time on my side " Belle choked, her voice cracking. "Guess I don't."

Zelena wrestled with her emotions. She wanted to see Rumplestiltskin get his, but not at the expense of someone who, in her eyes, was mostly innocent.

Of course, the only solution she could think of was terribly risky.

"That's not necessarily true," she said reluctantly. Belle stared expectantly at her.

"There may be a way," Zelena continued uneasily, with a feeling that she was most likely going to regret her decision.

* * *

After Belle had left with her brand new, handheld sleeping curse, Zelena pondered.

The bookworm had been right. Hades could have tried to take her baby at any time.

Hell, with everything that had happened, he probably could've collected all the ingredients he needed for the time travel spell.

So why hadn't he?

Maybe he didn't really want the baby, or to complete the spell, just leverage over the Dark One.

It was a power play, and a dangerous one at that.

You didn't toy with Rumplestiltskin and come away unscathed, or at least to her knowledge.

Perhaps it was merely part of his plan to stop the heroes. Divide and conquer.

If Rumplestiltskin was on Emma and Regina's side, well, it wouldn't end well for anyone on the opposing side.

Maybe he really was just trying to help her.

Or maybe he just wanted Storybrooke.

But that was stupid. The Underworld was bigger than Storybrooke.

Hades could have designed it anyway he wanted, and he'd modeled it after Storybrooke for her.

If Hades really wanted to take over a realm for himself, he wouldn't go after Storybrooke.

It seemed like he was trying to help.

The least she could do was give him a chance.

Just a chance.


End file.
